Propelling mechanism for boats.



PATENTBD MAY a, 1904.

B. vJ. LAVIGVN. PROPELLING MEGHANISM PoR BOATS.

APPLIOATIOI FILED JULY $9, 1903.

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Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

BENJAMIN J. LAVIGN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PnoPELLlNG MEcHANlsM FOR BOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,983, dated May 3, 1904.

" Application filed July 29, 1903. Serial No. 167,434. (Nomaden) T all whom, it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN J. LAVIGN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Propelling Mechanism for Boats, of which.` the following is a i full, clear, and exact description.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a simple, economic, and effective propelling mechanism for boats, particularly of that characterwhich-is driven by foot or pedal power, and, further, to providev means whereby the speed of the mechanism may be increased or diminished, as desired, and in an expeditious and convenient manner under the full control ling mechanism. Fig: 2 is a longitudinal section taken practically on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of a boat and a single form of propelling mechanism.

A represents a portion of the hull of a boat, and B the propeller-blade, which is mounted on a shaft in any suitable or approved manner, the said shaft being provided with proper bearings at the stern of the vessel. The propeller-shaft 10 intermediate'of its ends is made to turn in a bearing. 11, carried by an arm`12, projected from a second bearing 13, located vnear to the stern section of the boat,'as is shown in Fig. 1, the bearing 13 being supported by a suitable standard 14 The inner end of the propeller-shaft 10 is made to turn in a blind box 13, which is attached to abearing 13" opposite the end of the bearings 13 above mentioned. `This bearing 13b is supported by a suitable standard 14E, the standards 14 and 14 being properly secured to the bottom of the boat. 'A short shaft 15 is held to turnv in the bearings 13 and 13b,rand the propeller-shaft 10 is provided near its inner end with a bevel-gear 16, meshing with a bevelgear 17 on the shaft 15, as is shown in Figs.

`C, which constitute the frame for the propelling mechanism, together with the'said rod 18 and other connecting-rods, such as mayv be desired. The side beams C are supported by attachment to the sides of the hull or by standards which extend upward from the bottom of the hull, as may be desired. On this rear connecting-rod 18 av balance or ily wheel 19 is lQosely mounted, and a sprocket-pinion20 is made integral with or is attached to the hub of the said fly-wheel, connected by a chain belt 2l with'a sprocket-pinion 22 on the sternshaft 15. impart power to the propeller-shaft by reason of the momentum ofthe yiy-wheel after the propelling mechanism has been set in operav tion. In front of the connecting-rod 18 a driven` shaft 22 is mounted to turn in preferably ballbearings 23, carried by the beams C on the said frame, and at or about the center of the driven shaft 22 a sprocket-wheel 24 is 4secured, connected by a chain belt 25 with a second sprocket-pinion. 26, secured on the stern-shaft 15. At the forward portion of the boat the side beams C are connected by another crossbar 27, and between the two cross-bars 22 and 27 and nearest the cross-bar 27 a driveshaft 28 is mounted to turn in suitable rollerbearings 28, carried by the side beams of the frame. A

Upon the central lportion of the drive-shaft 28 a sprocket-pinion 29 is secured, connected by a chain belt 30 with a sprocket-wheel 31, secured upon a pedal-shaft 32, the pedal-shaft being provided with suitable pedals at its ends, and the pedal-shaft 32 is mounted to turn in suitable bearingsSL, which are supported by standards 35, extending upwardfrom the bottom of the boat. The-drive-shaft 28 is provided with a longitudinal groove 36, andl on this drive-shaft 28-clutch-sleeves are loosely The object ofthe fly-wheel 19 is to.

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clutches D2 and E2 have feathers to enter the i groove in the drive-shaft 28, so that the clutches D2 and E2 turn with the drive-shaft and yet are capable of sliding thereon. These clutches D2 and E2 are made to taper in direction of their ends from a central point, as is also shown in Fig. 1, and the tapering end portions of the clutches are provided with a covering of leather or other substance which will effect a true frictional engagement between an end of a clutch and the wall of the chamberp37 of a clutch-sleeve in which the said endshall have been introduced.

Each clutch D2 and E2 is provided with a' central peripheral groove 39, and the groove of the clutch D2. receives the fork of a shiftp ing-arm 40, while the groove on the clutch E2 receives the fork of a second shifting-arm 41. Said arms are pivoted on blocks 42, which are firmly attached to the forward cross-bar 27 or which may be otherwise supported. The shifting-arms 40 and 41 are of angular construction, and their forward ends extend transversely of the hull in direction of each other, terminating one at each side of the pedal-shaft 32. The shifting-arm 4() is connected with a hand-,lever 40, while the shifting-arm 41 is connected with a corresponding hand-lever 412, thus enabling the operator, for whom a seat a is provided, as shown in Fig. 2, to operate either clutch D2 or E2 and carry either clutch in engagement with either clutchsleeve with which the clutch is adapted to coact.

The` clutch-sleeve E is provided with an attached or integral sprocket-wheel 43 of any y desired diameter, and the opposing clutchsleeve E is provided with a larger sprocketwheel 44, while the clutch-sleeve D/ has a still larger sprocket-wheel 45 forming a portion thereof, and a yet larger sprocket-wheel 46 is carried by the clutch-sleeve D.

`,On the driven shaft 22 a series of sprocketpinions is secured, preferably four in number. The said sprocket-pinions are designated, respectively, as 47u, 47h, 47", and 47d,

as is shown in Fig. 1. A sprocket-chain 43a connects the sprocket-wheel 43 of the clutchsleeve E with the sprocket-pinion 47, a second chain belt 442connects the sprocket-wheel 44 of the clutch-sleeve E with the sprocketpinion 47", the sprocket-wheel 45 on the clutch-sleeve D is connected by a chain belt 45a with the sprocket-pinion 47C, and the largest sprocket-wheel 4G is connected with the sprocket-pinion 47l by a chain belt 4(52 It will thus be observed that the speed at which the propeller shall turn is at the option of the operator, as by bringing the clutch E2 in engagement with the clutch-sleeve E/ thc slowest speed is obtained. A greater speed may be secured by shifting the clutch E2 in engagement with the clutch-sleeve E. A still greater speed may be attained by bringing the clutch D2 in frictional engagement with the clutch-sleeve D', as is shown in Fig. 1, while the greatest possible speed is obtainable by shifting the clutch D2 to an engagement with the clutch-sleeve D. rhen one of the clutches is in action at either end, the other clutch occupies a central position between the clutch-sleeves in connection with which it operates, being at such time out of frictional engagement with both of the sleeves.

It will be observed that this mechanism is exceedingly simple and durable and is capable of imparting very high speed to the propellershaft and at any time that the operator may desire the speed may be increased or decreased within the limits of the sprocket-wheels 43 and 46.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated what I term a single form of the propelling mechanism, which enables said mechanism to be made very light and renders it applicable to small boats. The diiference in construction resides only in the arrangement of the clutch and clutchsleeves and in the connections between the drive-shafts and the stern and pedal shafts. Under the construction shown in Fig. 3 two clutch-sleeves F and F are loosely mounted on the drive-shaft 28, each clutch-sleeve having a conical chamber at its outer end surface, and in connection with each clutch-sleeve F and F' a clutch is employed, the clutches bcing designated, respectively, as H and Il. These clutches have conical sections adapted to enter the conical chambers in the clutchsleeves, and the conical portions of the clutches are covered with leather 53 or other material adapted to add to the frictional contact of a clutch and clutchsleeve when brought together. The clutch-sleeves run loose on the shaft 28; but the clutches are feathered on the shaft, yethave sliding moven'ient. A sprocketwheel 49 is secured on the drive-shaft 28 between the two clutch-sleeves, connected by a vchain belt 50 with a sprocket-pinion 50 on the stern-shaft l5. The clutch-sleeve E is provided with a sprocket-wheel 51, and the clutchsleeve E has a similar sprocket-wheel 52, the two sprocket-wheels being usually of the same diameter. The sprocket-wheel 5l is connected by a chain belt 511L with a sprocket-wheel 51" on the pedal-shaft 32, while the sprocketwheel 52 is connected by a chain belt 52lL with a smaller sprocket-pinion 52, also located on the said pedal-shaft. When either clutchsleeve is to be driven, the corresponding clutch IOO the movement of the pedals and pedal-shaft,

and when the mechanism for high speed is brought into play the drive-shaft Q8 will have a quicker movement than that ofthe pedals or the pedal-shaft. Angular shifting-arms 54 and 54a are respectively employed for the clutches H and H', and these shifting-arms 54 and 54u are mounted on the blocks 42 on the front cross-bar 27, heretofore referred to. The shifting-arm 54 is connected by a link 55 with a hand-lever 55, while the shifting-arm 54 is connected by a link 56 with a second handlever 56a. Y

Having thus descr1bed my lnvention, I claim i as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a propelling mechanism for boats, a drive-shaft, sleeves mounted loosely on the drive-shaft, having conical chambers, sprocket-wheels of different diameters carried by the said sleeves, a clutch mounted to slide on the drive-shaft and turn therewith, having conical ends adapted to enter the conical chambers in the clutch-sleeves, a shifting device for the clutch, a pedal-shaft, a driving connection between the pedal-shaft and thel main shaft, a`

driven shaft, belt connections-between the driven shaft and the sprocket-wheels on the said clutch-sleeves, a propeller-shaft, a driving connection betweenthe driven shaft and the propeller-shaft, a fixed bar, a fly-wheel loosely mounted on the said bar,a stern-shaft inl gear with the propeller-shaft, and a sprocketand-chain connection between the stern-shaft and the fly-wheel, for the purpose set forth. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

RALPH EHRLICH, AARON B. LEVINSKY.

BENJAMIN J. LAVIGN. l 

